Hot-water heater



IEVEN'I'ORS 2 Sheets-Sheet J. H. KOLTS ET AL HOT WATER HEATER Filed Aug.20, 1926 Jan. 21, 1930.

ATTOR NEY Jan. 21, 1930. KoL s ET AL 1,744,124

HOT WATER HEATER Filed Aug. 20. 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Jan. 21,1930 UNITED STATES PATENT GFFICE JOHN H. KOLTS, 0F GRAFTON, AND EDWARDA. KBAH, JR-., OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYL- VANIA, ASSIGNORS TO PITTSBUBGWATER HEATER COMPANY, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, A. CORPORATION (3FNEW JERSEY HOT-WATER HEATER Application filed. August 20, 1926.

This invention relates to water storage heaters in general and moreparticularly to automatic storage heaters for hard water.

In the ordinary type of storage heater for water, there is usuallyemployed a copper coil through which the water to be heated iscirculated. This coil is normally located in the lower portion of themain water tank Where it is subjected directly to the heat of theburner. In storage heaters of this type con siderable difliculty andinconvenience have been encountered where the water supply is hard byreason of the fact that the intense heat soon causes a precipitation oflime on the inside of the coil which tends gradually to close up thecoil or at least materially retard the circulation as well as toincrease markedly the consumption of fuel because of the greater amountof time necessary to heat the water through the coating of lime.

To remove the precipitated lime from the coil is an exceedinglydifficult proposition necessitating bodily removal of the entire coilunit. Inasmuch as the coil requires both inlet and outlet connectionsfor the return cold water and the delivered hot water, respectively,both connections must be broken before the coil can be removed.

It is the general object of this invention to overcome the aforesaidobjectionable features by the provision of a heating unit which isdevoid of coils and in which the tendency for the lime precipitate toretard the circulation of the water and interfere with its heating isreduced to a minimum.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a heating unit ofsuch design that it permits the continuous circulation therethrough of alarge body of water, the unit being provided with inlet and outlet portsof such large dimensions that the circulation of the water may be freeand unimpeded.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a heatingunit comprising a sectional casing so arranged that whatever lime isprecipitated is deposited only in one section of the casing and whichsection may be readily detached without removing the entire heating unitso that the lime deposit may be readily and quickly removed therefrom.

Serial No. 130,458.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a heatingunit of such design that only one tapping is required in the main Watertank for both the return cold water and the delivered hot water thussubstantially reducing the cost of installation of the heater.

A still further object is the provision of a heating unit so designedthat the parts thereof may be cast without the use of any complicatedcores and which parts may be readily and quickly assembled to provide aninexpensive but at the same time a very efficient heating unit.

Further objects, and objects relating to details and economies ofconstruction and operation will definitely appear from the detaileddescription to follow. In one instance, the objects of the invention areaccomplished by the device and means set forth in the followingspecification. A structure constituting a preferred embodiment of theinvention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthe specification, in which:

Fig. 1 shows an elevation of a storage water heater, the lower portionof which is broken away to show the relative position of the heatingunit therewith;

Fig. 2 is a central vertical section through A the heating unit proper;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the lower section of the heating unit astaken on the line 33 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the water spreader which is nested withinthe upper section of the heating unit.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, it will be seen that themain water tank 10 of the storage water-heater is divided into upper andlower compartments 11 and 12, respectively, by a diaphragm or bafileplate 13. The upper compartment 11 forms the main tank for storing thewater to be'heated while the lower compartment 12 forms the chamber inwhich the heating unit and the associated burner mechanisms are located.These mechanisms are of the usual type and comprise essentially a gasburner 1a which is supplied with gas through a snap valve 15. Gas issupplied to this snap valve 15 through the gas line 16. A snap actionthermostatic control mechanism of the usual type designated generally bythe numeral 17 is operatively associated with the snap valve 15 toeffectively regulate and control the suppl of gas so as to insure auniform heating ame. A draft pipe 18 has one end thereof communicatingwith the heating chamber 12 and the other end thereof with a draft hood19 whereby to provide a suitable draft for the heating chamber.

Located in the top of the main water tank are the spuds 20 and 21, thespud 20 providing the cold water inlet connection to the water tank andthe spud 21, the hot water outlet connection. Suspended from the spud 20is a dip pipe 22 of such length that the cold water is forced directlyto the bottom of the main water compartment 11, while the spud 21 isprovided with a short nipple 23 through which the heated water may bedrawn from the tank. The diaphragm or baflle plate 13 forming the bottomof the water storage compartment proper is provided with a centrallylocated aperture 24 in which is adapted to be inserted the upper end ofthe heating unit designated generally by the numeral 25.

This heating unit 25 comprises essentially a hollow casing formed ofupper and lower sections 26 and 27, respectively. As most clearlyappears in Fig. 2, the sections are each substantially of conical form,the diverging ends of which are secured together to form a casing havingoppositely converging ends.

Each of these sections are provided at their meeting edges with annularflanges 28 and 29, respectively, which flanges are rigidly boltedtogether by means of the bolts 30. If desired a gasket 31 may beinterposed between the meeting faces of these flanges to insure atighter casing. The oppositely c011- verging ends of the upper and lowersections 26 and 27 are respectively provided with oppositely extendingstems 31 and 32. The stem 31 is externally threaded as at 33 such thatit may be readily threaded into the aperture 24 in the diaphragm orbaffle plate 13, while the stem 32 is provided in one side thereof withan internally threaded opening 34 into which may be threaded the drainpipe 35.

Spaced circumferentially about the upper edge of the lower section 27 ofthe casing are a series of lugs or integral projections 36, the topedges of which lie substantiallyv in the plane of the top face of thelower section 27. These lugs or projections 36 are arranged to support aconically shaped water baffle or spreader 37 which is nested within theupper section 26 of the casing. This water spreader 37 is so designedthat the tapering wall thereof is uniformly spaced from the internaltapering wall of the section in which it 1s nested and is provided witha series of circumferentially spaced lugs or projections 38 at thebottom edge thereof which serve as spacing elements between the spreader37 and the section in which it is nested. As shown in Fig. 2, the bottomedge of the spreader 37 rests upon and is supported by the inwardlyprojecting lugs 36 of the lower section 27.

At the convergent end of the water spreader 37 is provided an opening 39which is in registry with but is of lesser diameter than the opening 10in the stem 31 at the top of the upper section 26. A water circulatingpipe 41-1 has its bottom end inserted in the opening 39 of the waterspreader 37 and is secured thereto in any suitable manner. In thisparticular instance, the lower end of this pipe is shown flanged as at12 around the bottom edge of the opening. Inasmuch as the watercirculation pipe 41 is of no greater diameter than that of the openingin the top of the spreader 37, it may be projected upwardly through theopening 10 in the upper section 26 of the casing without sealing thesame such that the water to be heated may pass between the internal wallof the opening 40 and the pipe 41 and through the passage defined by thediverging walls of the section 26 and the spreader 37 into the body ofthe heating unit proper from whence it is forced upwardly through thecirculating pipe 41 From the foregoing description, it will be seen thatthere has been provided a heating unit for disposition within theheating chamber of the main tank 10 of such design that a large body ofwater may be continuously circulated therethrough. Because of this largebody of circulating water, the tendency for precipitation of lime whenthe hard water is heated is substantially reduced. No lime whatever willbe deposited on the upper section because the cold water which returnsover this section will not get hot enough at this point to precipitatelime. If any lime is precipitated at all, it will be deposited on thelower section. However in view of the fact that this lower section isreadily detachable from the upper section such a precipitation wouldprove to be of no inconvenience. Further to remove any of the limeprecipitate, it is not necessary to employ an acid, the removablesection being of such design that the deposit may be removed by the useof a cold chisel and hammer, which tools are always available. Still afurther advantage of this heating unit is that only one tapping isrequired in the tank for both the return cold water and the deliveredhot water, thus eliminating at least one tapping in the tank as well asthe extra pipe fittings which are required. Further, due to the factthat the casing is provided with oppositely converging ends and duefurther to the provision of the particular type of water spreaderemployed, there is provided in the upper portion of the casing aconstantly expanding water inlet passage, the lower converging sectionof the casing serving to direct the water to a. point of convergency sothat it may be the more readily heated to the required temperature andthence forced upwardly through the circulating pipe to the top of themain water compartment.

It is to be understood that the particular embodiments of thisinvention, which have here been shown and described, are susceptible ofconsiderable variation without departing from the spirit thereof.

We claim In a water storage heater, a heating unit comprising a casinghaving oppositely converging ends, lugs projecting from the interiorwall of the lower portion of said casing, and a flaring bafiie memberdisposed in the upper portion of said casing and supported by said lugs,said baflle member being provided with means for maintaining the samespaced from the wall of said casing whereby to provide a constantlyexpanding water passage in the upper portion of the heater.

In testimony whereof, we have hereunto signed our names.

JOHN H. KOLTS. EDWARD A. KRAH, JR.

